The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-04-02
Lady of the Castle

Suoo Va opc hikhey hoSS VI w HNSSnt
famed for brave men and lovely wo-
men, was Aoelheid, heiress OF the cas-
tie and broad lands that had been
owned by her ancestors, and, go far
as beauty went, she was worthy other
lineage, but OF proud and naughty
temper. So proud was she that
among all the mobiles OF Brisgan she
could find none whom she thought
worthy to coll her lord.
Among those whom she had, after
her fashion. first NLtHched to her by
every art, and afterward repealed with
bitter derision, was o young man OF
noble family, but slender fortune, who
had long been in her service as page
and squire, as the fashion OF those
days demanded.
After years OF patient waiting and
hope the youth ventured to declare
himself, and was received by the lady
with storm OF sarcasms that literal.
ly overwhelmed him. StunI to tho
heart by hard speeches, and by the
sense OF his own folly and presump-
ton, which suddenly poured upon him
like food, he left his mistress pres.
ence only to write n word of farewell
to his mother. whose only son he was,
and whom he tenderly loved, then
threw himself into the Rhine.
A few days altorward woman,
maddened with rage and sorrow, u
widow whose only son had died
suicides death. sought the Lady
Adelheid IN her castle on the nil, ac-
cused her OF being the murderer OF her
boy, and heaped upon her head the
bitterest curses that her outraged
mother-heart could devise or her
woman's tongue utter.
"Unloved you shall i've" she cried,
"and unregretted die. Even in the
grave you stall find no peace, even
there my revenge shall follow you,
and send you forth to wander, a
restless, miserable ghost foreverl"
"Ah!" cried the lady Adeheid, with
white face and scared eyes, all their
haughtiness flown, "do not utter such
terrible wordsl Have youno mercy"
The wretched mother smiled grimly.
Eyes, | will have mercy" she sad.
"Thus shall your spirit wander through
these very halls until you find lover
as true, as honest, a. Nure-hearted as
my poor. lost son, willing to WOO the
phantom OF his bride. Then only
shall you rest in peace"
Under this curse, says the legend.
Athe lady of Windeck lived and died.
She was the last of her race, and not
many years after her death the
\ castle, uninhabited and deserted,
pfell into ruins. Its new owners, had,
indeed, made many attempts to in
habit it, but had been absolutely driv.
en- out CT the place by the unearthly
sounds which disturbed the stiffness
OF the night. and which scarcely al
lowed living soul in the building SO
much rs to close an eye from midnight
to cock-crow. Doors would open and
shut mysteriously, footsteps resound
through silent corridors, lights, illu-
mined by no visible hand, suddenly
burn in the windows, while every mir
ror in the house reflected the shadowy
form of woman clothed in white,
with long black hair hanging below
her shoulders, would be seen-disap-
pearing in one place only to
appear the next moment in another.
1t happened, however, that one day
young hunter OF noble family, Kurt
Won Stein by name, stranger guest
in one OF the neighboring castles, was
led, in the excitement OF the chase, up
to the very gate of the deserted man.
4 Ill, h., Al
rushed by him into the very ruins, rs
though it were taking sanctuary. AIT
er q while the idea occurred to the
young man that he might as well pay
. his respects to the owner OF II, wheth-
err she was a.phantom or not. So he
made his way up the staircase and
" knocked at door which was at the
top OF it, The door opened noiseless-
> ly. as though by an unseen hand, and
( admitted him into n long corridor,
lighted, and adorned with white mar
BILE statues. Next he came INTO a
great hall, on'the walls of which hung
q number OF antique portraits, which
in the center of the apartm was a
stable spread as il for supper. He sat
Quietly down at one end OF the table,
which was laid for two persons.
Scarcely had he done so when the
door of the room opened noiselessly,
and n lady young and beautiful, but
with a somewhat sad and pale face
entered the room.
Kurt rose and a" once began to
make apologies for his unwarrantable
intrusion. The lady waved a white
hand toward him and babe him be
seated.